Chapter3
762 Words
**Ria’s POV**
"What do you mean you went to meet him after what you promised me? Come on, Ria!!"
"Don’t be a p***y, Justin. You know I also have to play games with him just so he’ll believe I still love him. Besides, we just had a heated conversation—nothing more. Trust me, babe."
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**Mia's POV**
I made it back to my desk, my heart still racing—not just from what had happened in his office, but from the confession still swirling in my mind.
Before I could pull myself together, my phone buzzed. I glanced down at the screen.
**Vale:** Come to my office NOW.
I stared at the message for a long moment. No “please.” No “when you’re free.” Just a cold, commanding “NOW.”
When I stepped into his office again, the atmosphere felt completely different—cooler, more controlled. It was as if the man who had lost himself with me just minutes ago had vanished entirely.
Vale didn’t look at me immediately. He was seated behind his massive desk, sleeves rolled up, his expression unreadable.
“Mia,” he said calmly, sliding a document across the table toward me. “What is this?”
“Take a look.”
I scanned through the pages, my eyes widening in shock. “Are you insane?!” I blurted out. “A marriage contract?” I looked up sharply at him.
Vale leaned back in his leather chair, watching my reaction as if he had expected it.
“It’s strategic,” he said. “My family wants me married. The board wants stability, and Ria—” His jaw tightened slightly. “—is not an option.”
“And you thought of me?” I laughed in disbelief. “Your one-night stand? Your employee?”
“You’re more than that,” he said quietly. His words caught me completely off guard.
He stood up and walked toward me, slow and deliberate.
“You’re not tied to my world. You don’t want my money. You walked away without asking for anything.” His voice lowered. “That’s what makes you the safest choice.”
“Safe?” I scoffed. “You don’t even know me.”
“I know enough.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “So what—this is fake? We pretend, sign papers, smile for the cameras, and then go our separate ways?”
Vale hesitated.
“Not entirely.”
My eyes narrowed. “Meaning?”
“We live together and appear publicly as a couple. No dating other people…” His gaze locked onto mine. “For one year.”
My heart skipped a beat, but I forced myself to stay composed.
“And after one year? We walk away?”
Silence stretched between us. I looked back down at the contract, then up at him again. *This is crazy.*
“Say no,” he said simply, “and walk out of this office. Everything goes back to normal.”
But something in his eyes told me that wasn’t true. Nothing about this felt normal anymore.
“And if I say yes?” I asked.
A faint smirk touched his lips. “Then you become my wife.”
All of this was happening on my first day of work. My life had changed overnight: a new job, a broken relationship, a one-night stand, and now this… a contract marriage with him.
“Are you hiding something?” I asked suddenly.
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t just pick a random woman for something like this,” I said, facing him directly. “Why me? Honestly?”
“Because,” he said finally, his voice softening just a little, “when you walked away that day, you didn’t look back. I’ve met a lot of women—most of them want something from me.”
His tone grew quieter. “You didn’t.”
My chest tightened, but I pushed the feeling aside.
“This isn’t a fair deal. You get control, stability, and a wife on paper. And what do I get?”
He met my eyes steadily. “You get protection, influence, and a position no one can challenge.”
He paused, then added softly, “And I won’t hurt you.”
I let out a small, almost ironic laugh. “You already have.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke. I picked up the contract again, flipping through the pages more carefully this time.
“Any rules?” I asked.
- Writer
